Adrian Quaife-Hobbs tops wet Silverstone GP3 practice
Valencia winner Adrian Quaife-Hobbs kept his momentum rolling by topping a rain-affected first GP3 free practice session at Silverstone on Friday lunchtime
Although the session started with a dry track, a rain shower swept across the circuit on the opening lap, setting the tone for a disrupted half-hour of tricky conditions. Lewis Williamson set the early pace, before being bettered by fellow Briton James Calado, then Antonio Felix da Costa and Rio Haryanto.
With half the session gone, Calado was fastest at the second split but then put all four wheels on the grasscrete exiting Stowe and spun back across the track, clattering the tyre wall like Guido van der Garde had done in GP2 half an hour earlier. This promoted a long yellow flag while car was being recovered.
After the yellow flag was withdrawn, the rain started again, but Valtteri Bottas, Alexander Sims and Haryanto all squeezed in good laps in the brief weather window, taking it in turns to top the times.
A heavier rain shower with six minutes remaining sent many cars scurrying back to the pits, including Haryanto, but those who stayed out were rewarded with the best track conditions right at the end.
Williamson briefly grabbed top spot again, before Quaife-Hobbs beat him by 0.378 seconds, which no one else could outdo. Haryanto stayed third, just ahead of Gabby Chaves, Mitch Evans, Bottas, Dean Smith and Sims.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Manor 1m52.066s 2. Lewis Williamson MW Arden 1m52.444s + 0.378s 3. Rio Haryanto Manor 1m52.915s + 0.849s 4. Gabby Chaves Addax 1m52.991s + 0.925s 5. Mitch Evans MW Arden 1m53.000s + 0.934s 6. Valtteri Bottas ART 1m53.262s + 1.196s 7. Dean Smith Addax 1m53.288s + 1.222s 8. Alexander Sims Status 1m53.357s + 1.291s 9. Tom Dillmann Addax 1m53.577s + 1.511s 10. Michael Christensen RSC Mucke 1m53.638s + 1.572s 11. Luciano Bacheta RSC Mucke 1m53.717s + 1.651s 12. Nico Muller Jenzer 1m53.792s + 1.726s 13. Marlon Stockinger Atech CRS 1m53.895s + 1.829s 14. Aaro Vainio Tech 1 1m53.934s + 1.868s 15. Antonio Felix da Costa Status 1m53.988s + 1.922s 16. Daniel Morad Carlin 1m54.000s + 1.934s 17. Nigel Melker RSC Mucke 1m54.038s + 1.972s 18. Tamas Pal Kiss Tech 1 1m54.093s + 2.027s 19. Conor Daly Carlin 1m54.114s + 2.048s 20. Nick Yelloly Atech CRS 1m54.185s + 2.119s 21. Simon Trummer MW Arden 1m54.243s + 2.177s 22. Pedro Nunes ART 1m54.700s + 2.634s 23. Vittorio Ghirelli Jenzer 1m54.785s + 2.719s 24. Maxim Zimin Jenzer 1m54.796s + 2.730s 25. Zoel Amberg Atech CRS 1m54.854s + 2.788s 26. Ivan Lukashevich Status 1m54.999s + 2.933s 27. Matias Laine Manor 1m55.258s + 3.192s 28. James Calado ART 1m55.308s + 3.242s 29. Leonardo Cordeiro Carlin 1m56.229s + 4.163s 30. Thomas Hylkema Tech 1 1m56.912s + 4.846s
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